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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Retailers and package delivery companies rely on the holiday season to provide an end-of-year boost in sales that makes operating during the rest of the year worthwhile. Some businesses hire extra workers, often on a temporary basis, to get them through this busy time of year. The number of jobs added and people hired by "holiday hiring" industries with strong holiday employment patterns fell during the recession and rebounded in 2010, but did not reach levels seen in earlier years.

Last season's improved holiday buildup and hiring mean the number of holiday jobs was at least heading back to pre-recession levels. It's too early to say how well staffed the stores will be on opening day of the present holiday shopping season ("Black Friday" - November 25, 2011), but one forecast suggests that retailers will add at least the typical number of workers this season.

Oregon's job buildup in industries with strong holiday employment patterns was 11,261 in 2010, nearly as high as the decade's average buildup of more than 11,600. The "holiday buildup" is one way to measure holiday hiring activity.The September 2011 employment forecast from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis expects Oregon's retail trade employment to grow in the fourth quarter of 2011 by 400 jobs more than the typical seasonal increase. The forecast is for the entire retail trade sector, not just the industries that have a lot of holiday hiring, but the implication is that the holiday buildup will be about average this year.

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